Jan 8, 2014, 2:22 pm
Last edit by: TheDapperDon
Bonus category spending is now capped at $50k per year for new accounts. For now, this does not apply to existing cardholders, although Amex may continue to close accounts for excessive spend in bonus categories. This card is less viable as an MS instrument. Consider factors that may have led to these closures when sharing personal experiences.
Oct 22, 2014 onwards: Many people getting cancellation email from Amex. As of Dec 13, 2014, shutdown reports continue. Shutdowns appear to be triggered by spending on the card or upon statement closure, but not always
Some who have been shutdown are reporting back that AMEX is declining new non-OBC card applications due to "unsatisfactory relationship". (However, see here for an example where reconsideration was successful.) It is unclear at this time the length/extent of this Adverse Action/Ban.
Others have succeeded in getting new cards, including new OBCs, but consider your relationship with Amex and how much you value that and this card when deciding how to use it.
There might be some impact with other issuers. If AMEX sends you a cancellation it goes on your record as a cancellation by AMEX, not a cancellation by cardholder. While FICO score does not distinguish between closed by issuer and closed by cardholder, on manual review it may raise questions. However, issuers close cards for benign reasons as well (such as non-use) so unless several cards have been closed it probably won't cause a rejection by itself.
So, if you still feel it is worth it:
Application Link: Copy & paste the following link into a incognito window in Chrome or InPrivate Browsing in IE, Private Session in Firefox. There have been reports of people who got the card in the last couple of months getting shut down because of the rush to spend the initial $6,500.
Do NOT post "Link isn't working" until you have tried it incognito/private browsing and it fails there.
Up to 5% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations & select U.S. drugstores (Everyday Purchases). Up to 1% Cash Back on other purchases. For your first $6,500ą spend in a reward year˛, you will earn 1% on Everyday Purchasesł (5% after 6500⁴), and 0.5% on other purchases (then 1%).
0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months.
Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, balance transfers, cash advances, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. Additional terms and restrictions apply. (Presume these T&Cs are standard and that all credit cards state this)
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
ą First '$6,500' is spend on all purchases.
˛ 'Reward year' is the 12 billing periods in a row beginning with the one in which the anniversary of your Card Account occurs.
ł 'everyday purchases' refers to U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations & select U.S. drugstores, not all purchases.
* Read the fine print for 'gas' purchases! Right from AMEX T&C's:
...Everyday Purchases are: ... $400 or less of gasoline at gas stations located in the U.S. (superstores, supermarkets and warehouse clubs that sell gasoline are not considered gas stations)... A >$400 purchase at a gas station will get 5% for the first $400 and 1% thereafter. E.g., for something, say, $503.95, you would earn $21.04 CB [($400*5%)+(103.95*1%)].
⁴ 5% kicks in immediately after hitting $6500.(mid-statement). In fact, it will even kick in mid-purchase and a portion of the purchase will credit at the higher rate.
* Reward dollars for the previous statement period show up a day or two after the current statement period closes.
* Most cash back redemptions will be applied to your statement within 2–3 days.
* Helpful post regarding moving CL between cards. Thanks lad2
* How to Visually Distinguish the Three Types of Blue Cash Cards:
Blue Cash (old) has a "<" character to the left of the word CASH
Blue Cash Everyday has a circle to the right of the word CASH, with the "Everyday" wording at the back.
Blue Cash Preferred has the word PREFERRED printed vertically on the extreme left side.
If you get the error message "You cannot be logged in. Please contact the number on the back of your card." when trying to redeem Reward Dollars online, it may be because you have too many closed accounts still showing in your scrolling images of cards. Delete the closed ones, then try to redeem again.
Oct 22, 2014 onwards: Many people getting cancellation email from Amex. As of Dec 13, 2014, shutdown reports continue. Shutdowns appear to be triggered by spending on the card or upon statement closure, but not always
Some who have been shutdown are reporting back that AMEX is declining new non-OBC card applications due to "unsatisfactory relationship". (However, see here for an example where reconsideration was successful.) It is unclear at this time the length/extent of this Adverse Action/Ban.
Others have succeeded in getting new cards, including new OBCs, but consider your relationship with Amex and how much you value that and this card when deciding how to use it.
There might be some impact with other issuers. If AMEX sends you a cancellation it goes on your record as a cancellation by AMEX, not a cancellation by cardholder. While FICO score does not distinguish between closed by issuer and closed by cardholder, on manual review it may raise questions. However, issuers close cards for benign reasons as well (such as non-use) so unless several cards have been closed it probably won't cause a rejection by itself.
So, if you still feel it is worth it:
Application Link: Copy & paste the following link into a incognito window in Chrome or InPrivate Browsing in IE, Private Session in Firefox. There have been reports of people who got the card in the last couple of months getting shut down because of the rush to spend the initial $6,500.
Do NOT post "Link isn't working" until you have tried it incognito/private browsing and it fails there.
Code:
https://www304.americanexpress.com/credit-card/blue-cash/25330
Up to 5% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations & select U.S. drugstores (Everyday Purchases). Up to 1% Cash Back on other purchases. For your first $6,500ą spend in a reward year˛, you will earn 1% on Everyday Purchasesł (5% after 6500⁴), and 0.5% on other purchases (then 1%).
0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months.
Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, balance transfers, cash advances, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. Additional terms and restrictions apply. (Presume these T&Cs are standard and that all credit cards state this)
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
ą First '$6,500' is spend on all purchases.
˛ 'Reward year' is the 12 billing periods in a row beginning with the one in which the anniversary of your Card Account occurs.
ł 'everyday purchases' refers to U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations & select U.S. drugstores, not all purchases.
* Read the fine print for 'gas' purchases! Right from AMEX T&C's:
...Everyday Purchases are: ... $400 or less of gasoline at gas stations located in the U.S. (superstores, supermarkets and warehouse clubs that sell gasoline are not considered gas stations)... A >$400 purchase at a gas station will get 5% for the first $400 and 1% thereafter. E.g., for something, say, $503.95, you would earn $21.04 CB [($400*5%)+(103.95*1%)].
⁴ 5% kicks in immediately after hitting $6500.(mid-statement). In fact, it will even kick in mid-purchase and a portion of the purchase will credit at the higher rate.
* Reward dollars for the previous statement period show up a day or two after the current statement period closes.
* Most cash back redemptions will be applied to your statement within 2–3 days.
* Helpful post regarding moving CL between cards. Thanks lad2
* How to Visually Distinguish the Three Types of Blue Cash Cards:
Blue Cash (old) has a "<" character to the left of the word CASH
Blue Cash Everyday has a circle to the right of the word CASH, with the "Everyday" wording at the back.
Blue Cash Preferred has the word PREFERRED printed vertically on the extreme left side.
If you get the error message "You cannot be logged in. Please contact the number on the back of your card." when trying to redeem Reward Dollars online, it may be because you have too many closed accounts still showing in your scrolling images of cards. Delete the closed ones, then try to redeem again.
Old Amex Blue (2013-2014)
Jan 6, 2014, 5:07 pm
#316
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: ORD
Posts: 701
You are correct. I activated the card today via the phone. Then I called the number on the back of the card and asked to transfer limits. I had to give the normal info along with my annual income. Then I got the normal congratulations your transfer has been approved. Then I added the card to my online account and it shows my new credit limit.
Jan 6, 2014, 5:36 pm
#317
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
You are correct. I activated the card today via the phone. Then I called the number on the back of the card and asked to transfer limits. I had to give the normal info along with my annual income. Then I got the normal congratulations your transfer has been approved. Then I added the card to my online account and it shows my new credit limit.
Jan 6, 2014, 5:36 pm
#318
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 88
20% of my BCP CL, thanks amex, how am I supposed to do any damage with that
Jan 6, 2014, 6:46 pm
#320
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: ORD
Posts: 220
How can I find out whether the purchases are everyday ones or not? Are supermarkets synonymous to grocery stores? Would transactions made not in the pumps count?
Jan 6, 2014, 7:11 pm
#321
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 175
Cash back is earned only on eligible purchases and is earned in the form of Blue Cash Reward DollarsSM (reward dollars). You can redeem reward dollars for statement credits in increments of 25 whenever your total available reward dollar balance is 25 or more. The number of reward dollars you earn is based on a percentage of the dollar amount of your eligible purchases during each billing period. From time to time we may at our option offer you other ways to redeem your reward dollars, such as for gift cards or merchandise. The minimum redemption is 25 reward dollars.
Eligible purchases are purchases for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, balance transfers, cash advances, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. Additional terms and restrictions apply.
You earn a reward based on a percentage of the dollar amount of eligible purchases you make each billing period. On purchases in certain categories, called Everyday Purchases, you can earn a higher percentage reward. The reward percentage is based on the type of purchase and your prior spend during the reward year at the time of purchase. For your first $6,500 of eligible purchases in the 12 billing periods in a row beginning with the one in which the anniversary of your Card Account occurs (reward year), you will receive a reward of 1% on Everyday Purchases and a reward of 0.5% on all other eligible purchases. For each dollar of eligible purchases in excess of $6,500 in that same reward year, you will receive a reward of 5% on Everyday Purchases and a reward of 1% on other purchases. If your billing cycle changes, the length of your reward year will also change.
Everyday Purchases are: eligible purchases made at supermarkets located in the U.S. (superstores and warehouse clubs are not considered supermarkets); eligible purchases of $400 or less of gasoline at gas stations located in the U.S. (superstores, supermarkets and warehouse clubs that sell gasoline are not considered gas stations), and eligible purchases made at U.S. locations of select major drugstores. (The current list of select major drugstores is available at americanexpress.com/rewards-info.)
Jan 6, 2014, 8:19 pm
#322
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
Question. Just chatted with Amex and didn't get a good answer.
So I get the card today. I spend say $7,000. Tomorrow I go to a supermarket and spend $100. Is that a 1% or 5% transaction? i.e. does the 5% kick in as soon as the threshold is met, or is it after the statement where the threshold is met (or something else!)
So I get the card today. I spend say $7,000. Tomorrow I go to a supermarket and spend $100. Is that a 1% or 5% transaction? i.e. does the 5% kick in as soon as the threshold is met, or is it after the statement where the threshold is met (or something else!)
Jan 6, 2014, 8:20 pm
#323
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 98
My application was cancelled because I have BCP. I was unable to convert from BCP to this card. I may cancel BCP and apply again for this one.
I spent $6500 on BCP after receiving it mid Dec. Does the $6500 bonus start again Jan 1? or does it start again next Dec?
I spent $6500 on BCP after receiving it mid Dec. Does the $6500 bonus start again Jan 1? or does it start again next Dec?
Jan 6, 2014, 8:25 pm
#324
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
An annual reward year is 12 billing periods in a row beginning with the one that includes January 1st; if your billing cycle changes, the length of your annual reward year will also change.
You will earn a reward of 6% on the first $6,000 of eligible purchases in an annual reward year at supermarkets located in the U.S. (superstores and warehouse clubs are not considered supermarkets;
So if your december billing period includes Jan 1st, I think you used it up till next decemeber.
Jan 6, 2014, 9:20 pm
#325
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: MCO
Programs: AA 1MM, BA, UA, HH Dia, CC Gold, SPG Plat
Posts: 795
Jan 7, 2014, 6:49 am
#327
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 1,153
Question. Just chatted with Amex and didn't get a good answer.
So I get the card today. I spend say $7,000. Tomorrow I go to a supermarket and spend $100. Is that a 1% or 5% transaction? i.e. does the 5% kick in as soon as the threshold is met, or is it after the statement where the threshold is met (or something else!)
So I get the card today. I spend say $7,000. Tomorrow I go to a supermarket and spend $100. Is that a 1% or 5% transaction? i.e. does the 5% kick in as soon as the threshold is met, or is it after the statement where the threshold is met (or something else!)
Jan 7, 2014, 2:41 pm
#328
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 84
Old Amex Blue
I got approved for this card last week and am excited. Unfortunately they only gave me a $2,000 limit. How long should I wait to ask for an increase? This is my first Amex card since I had issues with them 10 years ago and I was on their blacklist until recently.
Jan 7, 2014, 2:59 pm
#330
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,944
I got approved for this card last week and am excited. Unfortunately they only gave me a $2,000 limit. How long should I wait to ask for an increase? This is my first Amex card since I had issues with them 10 years ago and I was on their blacklist until recently.